Introduction
Anyone who has watched William Shakespeare’s play Henry V knows that England’s unlikely victory at Agincourt on October 25th, 1415, came on the feast day of St Crispin and St Crispianus. What is less well known is that it was also a feast of St John of Beverley in Yorkshire, and that owing to a remarkable miracle the King himself instructed the Church of York to keep the day ever after with especial magnificence.
OH the ineffable consolation of these our times especially, refreshing and memorable to all ages! that is, the gracious victory of the most Christian prince Henry the Fifth, king of England, and his army in the battle lately fought at Agincourt,* in the county of Picardy, which was granted to the English by the immense mercy of God, to the praise of His name, and the honour of the kingdom of England, on the feast of the translation of the said saint. In which feast, during the engagement of our countrymen with the French (as we and our brethren heard in the last convocation, from the true report of many, and especially of the inhabitants of the said country) holy oil flowed by drops like sweat out of his tomb, as an indication of the divine mercy toward his people,* without doubt through the merits of the said most holy man.
* See posts tagged Battle of Agincourt (3). It had long been the custom to take the banner of St John to war. St John came to the attention of English kings at The Battle of Brunanburh in 937, when King Athelstan attributed a resounding victory over the Kings of Dublin, Scotland and Strathclyde to St John’s intercession. The victory did much to set the modern borders of England. His banner was again present alongside those of St Peter and St Wilfrid at The Battle of the Standard in 1138. Edward II, Edward III, Henry V and Henry VI all carried his banner into battle.
* Throughout the campaign, Henry V had been convinced that God was on his side. This was no greedy ‘invasion’ of France: as far as Henry was concerned, he was reasserting his right to lands that for centuries had belonged to the heirs of William of Normandy (?1027-1087) and of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), wife of King Henry II, and even at the risk of his own life fulfilling his sacred duty of protection to the people who lived there. Why precisely the Convocation needed the confirmatory ‘report’ of French pilgrims from Picardy is not made clear: perhaps it was to establish the exact time of the battle, or perhaps the reliquary of the saint had been taken over to France, and it was there that the miracle occurred.
Précis
During the Battle of Agincourt on October 25th, 1415, the relics of eighth-century saint John of Beverley exuded myrrh. As it was also the feat of John’s translation from York to Beverley, the Convocation of York was deeply struck by the miracle, and took it as a great honour for the Church as well as for King and country. (59 / 60 words)
During the Battle of Agincourt on October 25th, 1415, the relics of eighth-century saint John of Beverley exuded myrrh. As it was also the feat of John’s translation from York to Beverley, the Convocation of York was deeply struck by the miracle, and took it as a great honour for the Church as well as for King and country.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: despite, if, may, or, since, until, whereas, who.
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